Plasticizing water-soluble ureaformaldehyde resin in aqueous medium



Feb. 25, 1941. n w, M ARTHUR Er AL 2,233,320 I FLASTICIZING WATER-SOLUBLE UREA-FORMALDEHYDE RES INS IN AQUEQUSIMEDIUM I Filed June 21, 1939 ALKYD EMULSION RUBBER I LATEX QwfiwrvtomS Dnvm WILLIAM McAR-muiz;

Q. Tuzoooaa Hcoems .121

ALMON G. HOVEY.,

Patented .Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES I 2.23:,320 -"Trmsrrcrzmc WATER-SOLUBLE UREA- roman MEDIUM EHYDE RESIN IN AQUEOUS David William McArtbur, Ferndale, Theodore 8. Hodgins, RoyalOak, andAlmon G. Hovey, Birmingham, Micln, assignors to Beichhold Chemicals.

Inc, formerly Beck, Koller 8t Company, Inc., Detroit, Mich. Application June 21, 1939. Serial 170. 280,388

8 Claims. (01. 260-3) The invention relates to plastlcizing resins of the water-soluble urea-formaldehyde type in an aqueous medium, and more particularly to the plasticizing of such resins by maintaining the pH value within a range of 8-10, and adding to the resin a suitable aqueous emulsion.

The invention is particularly applicable to the plasticizing of resins such as set forth in Hodgins and Hovey applications Serial No. 203,148 filed 10 April 20, 1938, now Patent No. 2,185,167 dated December 26, 1939, and Serial No. 234,022 filled October 8, 1938, now Patent No. 2,168,477 dated August 8, 1939, wherein are described waterwhite, thermo-setting stable f resin solutions formed by the co-condensation of urea, "formalde- Gil hyde, and ethylene glycol.

Various types of aqueous emulsions may be employed for plasticizlng the resin. A desirable form of emulsion is an alkyd resin emulsion such as is described in Example 17 ofHodgins and Hovey application Serial No. 270,864 filed April 29, 1939. Another desirable form of emulsion for use in plasticizing resins of the urea formaldehyde type is rubber latex. which consists of gummy par 25 ticles suspended in an aqueous medium. The

latex and alkyd resin emulsion may be mixed together with good results.

There is a great need and desire for plasticizing water-soluble urea formaldehyde resins for industrial purposes with water-soluble plasticizers. Since water-insoluble plasticizers are not miscible with water-soluble urea-formaldehyde resins, it is necessary to incorporate the plasticizers by emulsification. Urea-:formaldehyde resins, on account of their water-white color and thermosetting properties, are very desirable for industrial Panmns'rron or Um-roausmmirnn Eri'irnnnn Gnroor. Rasm (Example 1 time 170. 2,168,477)

243 parts (3 mols) aqueous formaldehyde, 62 parts (1 mol) ethylene gylcol, and'5 parts-ammonium hydroxide (26% N111) are placed in a 55 flask employing a reflux condenser and agitated does not discolor.

for minutes. The 60 parts urea (1 mol) are then added and the mixture heated for 60 minutes at boiling. The product is then cooled to room temperature. This product is characterized by its stability and by resistance to water and 5 alcohol when baked at relatively low temperatures,'e. g. 30 min. at 250 F.

This'product is found to be acid in its reaction, having a pH value approximately within the range of 4 to 5 due to the presence of free formic acid derived from the formaldehyde which is regenerated upon evaporation of the volatile ammonium ion in the weak salt, ammonium formate. and accordingly the pH value of the solution must be adiusted to bring it within the range of a to 10 by the addition of ammonia or other suitable alkaline agent before the alkyd resin emulsion is added.

and alcohol resistant film even when baked as low as 5 minutes at 190 F. (87.8? C.)

Such water-white, thermo-setting, stable ureaformaldehyde resin solutions have heretofore been plasticized only by the use of water-soluble resins and/or water-soluble plasticizers, which, of course, remain permanently water-soluble and thus induce poor water-resistance in the baked urea-formaldehyde film. Among the plasticizers which have been hithertofore used are glycerol, ethylene glycol, and; other polyhydroxy com- 30 pounds, but in using these as plasticizers, the

good water-resistance which is inherent in the urea-formaldehyde resins is largely nullified by the use of large amounts of additional polyhydric alcohols. Up to now no water-soluble resin- 40 plasticlzer has been found which is water-soluble in the initial stage, but which becomes heat-convertible upon the application of'heat and which Also no chemical plasticizer has heretofore been found which will change over from the water-soluble to the water-insoluble state during the baking process. 1

Us: or m Brent EMULSION as Pnas'ncrzna (Example 2 of Patent No. 2,168,477) 20,

ammonia or some other volatile alkali substance instead of being allowed to remain at 4-5 before the alkyd resin emulsion is introduced. An alkyd perfectly with a water-soluble urea-formaldehyde Y way of illustration:

- 0.90 and ammonia content, 26%) were added,

resin solution if the pH of the water-soluble ureaformaldehyde resin solution hasbeen adjusted to 8-10, whereas, were the pH not adjusted to 8-10 prior to the addition, the alkyd resin would precipitate in a very short time. The result of such a combination of equal parts of-the ureaformaldehyde resin solution, as in Example 1 of Patent No. 2,185,167, or of Patent No. 2,168,477, and of the emulsion made in Example 17 'of Serial No. 270,864 is a water-white, light-colored, flexible film which, updn baking, is converted thus to a water-insoluble state, the'heat having converted both the urea-formaldehyde'resin and the aliwd resin emulsion in addition to which co-condensation may take place between the two ingredients. An equivalent result isnot obtained if a corresponding amount of ammonia is added first to the alkyd resin emulsion, and the emulsion is then stirred into the water-soluble urea-formaldehyde resin. In such case the urea-formaldehyde resin solution must be made alkaline before introducing the emulsion, or else precipitation takes place almost immediately, thus making it impracticable for industrial application. On the other hand, by proceeding inaccordance with the present invention, stable emulsions have been obtained which have lasted 1-1 /2 months without precipitation. The order of mixing is, therefore, important and should be followed according to our examples. I

For'the sake of completeness the preparation of the alkyd resin emulsion described in Example 17 of Serial No. 270.864will now be set forth b PBEPABATIQN or ALKYn RESIN EMULSION USING EMULSIFYING AGENT No. 1 (T-812) (Example 17 of Serial zvo.azo,ss4)

. 400 parts by weight of water were heated to C., 22.parts by weight of muriatic casein were added to the water under agitation and 15.2 parts by weight of ammonia (specific gravity,

of this resin was added 10 parts by weight .of

pine oil and 4 parts by weight of 6% cobalt liquid drier.

lowed to agitate for 1 hour.

This emulsion was submitted for astabiiity test and found to be far :greater on stability: ac-

cording'to both accelerated tests and life tests. than a corresponding formula in which various commercial emulsifying agents were employed in the same proportions. The finished emulsion.

. had a non-volatile content of 55%at an alkalinity of 8.5- milligrams of HO] per gram of emulsion,

a'speciflc gravity of 1.0469 at 20 0., a pH of,

Theresinous phase .was added to the aqueous phase gradually with stirring and al 7.8-8.0, and a viscosity of 26 seconds on the l lo.-

reacted with parts'by weight of'2-amino-2- methyl-1, 3-propanediol in an open vessel. The reaction mass becomes clear at (3. Heating was continued to 205 0.;- the end point was determined when a pill on glass remained clear.

The yield was 320 parts by weight, indicating that approximately 2 mols of water had been eliminated during the course of the reaction. The resulting product is slightly viscous and pale straw color, andcapa'ble of forming stable emulsions from resin and oils in aqueous media.

Use or Bonsai; LATEX AS Pmsncrzan viously making the urea-formaldehyde resin solution alkaline to a pH of 8-10, is of no avail, as in such event precipitation will take place. In the present process when using alkyd resin emulsion as a plasticizing agent forurea-formaldehyde resins of this type, the order of mix-,

ing is important and should bev adhered to. The

product resulting from mixing equal parts of urea-formaldehyde resin solution (such as is described in Patent Nos.'2,185,l67 and 2,168,477)

and of the ordinary rubber latex of commerce is a light-colored, flexible film which has some adhesive properties and elasticity.

Plasticized films of these types 'are, of course,

very desirable for use on textiles, particularly" when used in very thin films for printing'designs, where light-colored, flexible films which are' resista nt to laundering are required. The use of the .volatile alkalis, such as ammonia, is

highly advantageous because there is not left' behind any residual water-soluble substances, the

ammonia being volatilized upon application of heat. An important industrialuse for the product is in the pre-treatment of cord for automobile tires and in the backingoi' rugs and simi- The urea-formaldehyde resins alone might well be used were it not for the fact lar materials.

that flexibiiizirig with some water-insoluble substance was hithertofore impossible. The uniquely plasticized urea-formaldehyde resinfs of the present invention. are of value in sizing paper, as a cork binder, as a binder' in molding plastics,

-' and are also useful as adhesives, as for example producing laminated self is to be considered within the scope of this invention, that is, with the inclusion of antioxidants, accelerators, vulcanizing agents, etc., which are commonlyused with latex. Similarly: alkyl resin emulsions formulated in various ways with the addition of driers, anti-oxidants, anti skinning agents, etc.',' are alsoto be considered within the scope of this invention insofar as they still remain compatible within the pI-I range effective as outlined. 'Thermo-setting catalysts,

such asthe phosphoric acid mentioned in Example 2 of Patent No. 2,168,477; may be added to the water-soluble urea-formaldehyde resin soluiii tions before the adjustment of pH with the volatile alkali, with the net result being that faster thermo-setting properties are obtained with the urea-formaldehyde resin component without destroying the stability of the resulting emulsion.

EXAMPLES 1. 100 parts of 40% urea-formaldehyde resin solution, such as is described in Example 1 of U. S. Patent No.'2,168,477, are made alkaline by the addition of 14 parts of 26% ammonia to secure a pH of 9.0. When the ammonia is well mixed into the urea-formaldehyde solution, 100

parts by weight of a 50% non-.volatile alkyd resin aqueous emulsion, such as is described in Example 17 of U. S. Serial No. 270,864, are added.

This means a non-volatile content of approximately 40% and a ratio of 4 parts of urea-formaldehyde resin to approximately 5 parts-of alkyd resin of the oil-modified type. The pH of the resulting composition is approximately 9.0. The

'. mixing. The order of mixing is, therefore, im

portant inasmuch as it is not possible to add the alkali to the emulsion without adding it to the urea-formaldehyde resin solution first.

2. 100 parts by weight of urea-formaldehyde resin (as prepared in Example 1 of Patent No.

' 2,168,477) are made alkaline to a pH of approximately 9.0 by the addition of 14 parts of commercial 26% ammonia. At this point, after being made alkaline, '100 parts by weight of 60%, nonvolatile rubber latex (concentrated) are stirred in without precipitation. This gives a non-volatile content ,of approximately 47%, a ratio of 4 parts of urea-formaldehyde resin to 6 parts of rubber latex; and a pH of approximately 9.0. The stability at room temperature has been found to be perfect up to the end. of 4% weeks, whereas precipitation takes place instantly without the addition of the requisite quantity of ammonia'to the urea-formaldehyde resin solution. Upon baking the product for minutes at 260 F., a slight separation occurs in the filmwhich indicates a discontinuous film in that the low-' -er film layer adhered to the plate; while the top surface had a tendency to curl under pressure. Such a film is useful as an adhesive inasmuch as it partakes partly of the characteristics of rubber and partly of the characteristics of urea-formaldehyderesin, together with certain unique characteristics of its own, i.- e., better temperature strength than plain rubber latex, which is, of course, of value in rubber cements "to be used where heat is encountered, such as" in automobile body cement. Less amounts of rubber latex than that outlined in this example tendto produce greater uniformity of film, but less elasticity. Decreasing the amount of rubber latex also increases the abrasion-resistance, but induces a greater hardness to the film.

3. A mixture of equal parts of the formulas outlined'in Examples 1 and 2 results in a matei rial having a non-volatile content of approximat'ely 43.5%, a pH of 9.0 and a stability of more than 4 -weeks. This film has improved resist ance to abrasion as compared with the product of Example 2, but with not so much elasticity.

This composition of matter is useful in the production of flexible coatings, in rubber-like cements and adhesives, and in molding compounds.

4. 100 parts by weight of urea-formaldehyde resin solution, such as is described in Example 2 of U. S. Patent No. 2,168,477, is made alkaline with 16 parts by weight of ammonia (26%) ,and then 100 parts -.of an alkyd resin aqueous emulsion,such as is described in Example 17 of U. S. Serial No. 270,864, are added. The resulting pH is approximately 8.5, and the non-volatile content approximately 40%, and the stability good after 4 weeks, as compared in instantaneous precipitation if the order of mixing is not strictly followed. The film properties of this composition of matter are much the same as described in Example 1, except for the fact that the thermo-setting is faster and the hardness at the same temperature of bake is greater.

ing table and the triaxial diagram shown in the accompanying drawing.

1 Further examples are submitted in the follow- I TABLE I Parts by weight Water-solvable v Alkyd urea orm am Mon Rubber 4 (iiehyde resin Exp..No. o 40% 3 58 235 2? I solution solution pH of 90 with 26% NHiOH 100 0 0 so 0 0 0 0 20 m 40 0 0 m 3 20 0 0 40 40 60 0 40 40 20 40 m 40 40 0 20 80 0 0 60 20 20 40 40 2o 20 20 0 0 100 0 o 80 0 60 40 o 40 0 20 0 0 100 as per Example 11 oil). s. Serial No. 270,804 adjusted to 40% N. v.

#As per Example 10! U. 8. Patent No.'2,l68,477 at 40% N. V.

Y The order of mixing the ingredients is the same as outlined in our first four examples. In this table and graph, the emulsion is the same'as Example 17 of Serial No. 270,864 and the urea-formaldehyde resin solution is the same as Example 1 of U. S. Patent No. 2,168,477. The rubber latex was adjusted to 40% non-volatile, and so was the alkyd resin emulsion, so that all three.comp0- nents would be on a 40% non-volatile basis.

After 4 days at a'pH of 9.0, Examples 0-1, 0-2,

C-3, and C-4 and C-6 had separated; Examples 0 5 and C-7-C-20', inclusive, were stable; and Example C21 had separated. The alkyd resin itself is stable if kept within a pH range of 8-.08.5.' The ,urea-formaldehyde'resin is stable at a pH of 4-5, and if ammonia is added to bring the pHup to greater than 5, precipitation takes place, but the pH may be brought as high as 11 and stability of greater than 1 month results if KOH is used instead of ammonia. However,

upon adding ammonia to the urea-formaldehyde resin solution and then adding either the latex or the alkyd resin emulsion, as described diagram).

in the examples, the stability is excellent. Thus, it will be seen that this is not aslmple matter of adjustment of pH, inasmuch as the urea-formaldehyde resin solution itself is not stable alone during the alkaline pH range unless definite amounts of either the latex and/or the emulsion are also present to act as mutual stabilizers (see The rubber latex, of course, is stable for a period of months as received at a pH of 8.5 approximately.

fIhe examplw which go to make up the points on the triaxial diagram aregive'n in Table I. The triaxial diagram gives the working area of stability involving the three components at a pH of 9.0 which have industrial importance as outlined in this disclosure. 'I'heusefulness of these compositions varies somewhat as to the composition. As will be seen from the diagram, almost dium a resin of the water-soluble urea-formaldehyde type produced from urea, formaldehyde and ethylene glycol, which comprises adjusting the pH to value within the range of 8-l0, and adding a plasticizer comprising latex which also has a pH value within the range of 8-10.

2. A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is a 60% non-volatile concentrated rubber latex.

3. A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein a mixtureoi latex and alkyd resin emulsion is employed as the plasticizer.

4. A stable water-soluble plasticized resin produced according to claim 1, which is capable of producing upon baking I a water-insoluble, light-colored, flexible elastic film.

5. A stable emulsion comprising a solution of a water-soluble resin derived,from urea, formaldehyde and ethylene glycol, and a plasticizer comprising latex, intimately admixed with the of a resin derived from urea, formaldehyde, and

ethylene glycol, while maintaining the pH value of the resin solution and of the latex within'a range of 8-10.

- 7. A process of producing a stable emulsion which comprises plasticizing in an aqueous medium a water-soluble resin derived from urea, formaldehyde and ethylene glycol, with the use of-latex as a plasticizer, while maintaining the pH value of the composition within the range of 8-10.

in :an aqueous medium 01' a water-soluble resin .25 8. A stable emulsion comprising an admixture 7 derived from urea, formaldehyde'and ethylene glycol, and latex as a plasticizer, the pHvalue of .the admixture being maintained 'within the range of 8-10.

DAVID- WILLIAM THEODORE s.- HODGINS. ALMON HONEY. 

